For many women, especially those who work in high pressure, productivity-related jobs, telling their boss and department heads they are pregnant can be stressful. It doesn’t have to be if you prepare. American Pregnancyput up a great post sharing excellent tips on how to prepare to do just that.

Of the tips that stood out, as an attorney, I highly endorse the following two:

Read your company’s maternity leave policy in their handbook and do some online research as well to get to know your state’s laws concerning pregnancy, maternity leave, and pay for when you’re on leave.

Put a plan into place that you can present to your boss. Think of who can cover on short notice if nausea sets in unexpectedly or you need to schedule a doctor’s visit during lunch.

Also, as the post notes, you don’t have to wait until you are 12 weeks to make your announcement, but since your chances of miscarrying reduce by 80% by then, it would be a good time to wait until you are at least that far along.

Certainly, you are free to wait longer but you may start to show at 20 weeks and you want to make sure you give your job adequate time to plan for your maternity leave and departure.

I know that some women elect to put it off as long as possible because they fear they will lose out on plum projects and opportunities if their office realizes they will be away from the job in the coming months. It’s a fragile thing, but planning is the best remedy to alleviate some of that anxiety.

Once an employer realizes you know your rights, they may be less likely to do something stupid like try to fire you or take away key responsibilities that you can handle perfectly fine until you deliver!

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

The day after Christmas is also a busy shopping day as people return gifts that didn’t fit or they don’t like and others use the gift cards they got from family and friends. This is also the time of the year that people pledge to change their lifestyles and become more healthy and to eat better and work out.

1. A Powerful Blender or Juicer: A major part of the high holiday season and winter is eating high calorie foods, drinks and desserts. It’s certainly a time to be packing on the pounds. Many people usually pledge to change their eating habits for the New Year. Healthy shakes and juices are common ways people transition out of their bad heating. I cannot wait to purchase my first Vitamix and I’ve heard great things about the Magic Bullet.

2. A Workout DVD – Because not everyone’s schedule can accommodate a gym, having a DVD at home that can be popped in and done in the comfort of the home is ideal. After having my first baby, I lost a ton of weight, about 1-2 pounds weekly from breastfeeding and

3. WorkOut Clothes – If you have brand new fancy work out clothes in your drawers or hanging in your closet, you may feel obligated to wear it to a gym, maybe. I love how good quality pieces feel on my skin and when I can, try to go with a powerful label that is native to Maryland where I live, Under Armour. But if you cannot get a LuLu Lemon level of price point, there are many other options sold online and in specialty stores at the mall.

4. A steps counter – Because some people walk a lot to and from or as a part of their job, it’s great that steps counters like the Fitbit Flex are now trending and being used by more people. If you can see how taking the steps or getting out one stop before the closest one to your job can encourage you to rack up more steps, and burn more calories you will. That’s part of the appeal to steps counters. They are on sale these days and can be found as low as $35.

5. A food scale – If you will be starting one of those programs that require you to watch your portions and weigh your food so you have precise amount of protein, you should invest in a food scale. They are modestly price and are sold at big box stores like Target and Walmart or specialty stores like Williams-Sonoma and the like. Consider the Ozeri Digital food Scale which runs about $15 and can be ordered from our affiliates Amazon.com

Good luck and be healthy!

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

Which Christmas song is your favorite? If you could be a Christmas song, which one would it be? Let us guess with this Playbuzz Quiz! Test it out and share your results with your friends!

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

Whether it’s your child’s favorite art teacher, that dental hygienist who always hooks you up with extra floss samples, your physical therapist, the office admin or mail room staff, we all have those folks that we plum forget to get Christmas or Holiday gifts for at the end of the year. Then, we’re stuck either feeling bad about not getting them anything or doing the last minute scramble.

Fret not! We’ve got you covered!

If you have some spare moments during the day or your lunch hour, jot down to the local discount outlet store like Ross, Marshall’s, Burlington Coat Factory, TJMaxx or the like and pick up one or more of these quick and easy super last-minute gift items.

A Leather or hard cover journal

A pack of Note Cards

A Note pad and Pen Set

A Cookbook

A gift box of Chocolates

A wrapped Scented Candle

Novels or Meditation Guides

A Mug

A Box of Hot Cocoa Mix

A Starbucks Gift Card

Then head down to the dollar store,and pick up bags, tissue paper and a pack of holiday cads. Fill out the Tag and you’re done! Last minute shopping done in under one hour! Boom!

Good luck!

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

Gather dough into a ball and put it into a lightly greased bowl turning to cover all of dough.

Cover and allow to rise about 1 hour. After risen roll out to a 10×14 rectangle.

In a small bowl combine ¾ cup of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and sprinkle over rectangle.

Sprinkle ½ cup of raisins over the top and roll up dough along the long side.

Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and place in a greased 9×13 baking dish cut side up.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise over night.

The next morning preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking for 25 to 30 minutes.

While the rolls are baking mix together 1 teaspoon corn syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons of half and half and 1 ¼ cups of powdered sugar and whisk together.

Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls and serve.

Egg and sausage quiche

Brown 1 lb. of bulk breakfast sausage in a skillet.

Drain the sausage and set aside.

Cube 8 slices of wheat bread and layer it into a 9×13 dish.

Layer the sausage over the bread and then layer the cheese (2 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese).

Mix 5 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of dry mustard and pour it over the cheese layer.

Mix 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and ¼ cup of water together and spread it over the top of the other ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning bake for an hour at 300 degrees F or until set.

Let cool 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

Hashbrown casserole

Cut a stick of butter into small cubes and mix it into 2 lbs. of shredded hashbrown potatoes in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl mix together 1 pint of sour cream, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 grated onion.

Pour this mixture over the potatoes and toss to combine.

Pour into a 9×13 baking dish and cover with foil.

Refrigerate casserole overnight.

The next morning bake covered for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Additional shredded cheese can be added to the top during the last 30 minutes of baking.

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

You only get a three-minute fix. A study reported in the Journal of Appetite gave participants chocolate and tested how long the “feel good” feeling lasts. It turns out that comfort and bliss only last three minutes (Macht and Mueller 2003). Three minutes! Isn’t it a surprise how short-lived comfort eating can be?

Cake plus guilt equals less weight loss. Cake is a comfort food that can be associated with guilt and worry or pleasure and enjoyment. In a study of dieters, those who associated cake with “guilt” vs. “celebration” were less likely to lose weight over a three-month period. Those who had positive feelings and associated cake with being a comfort food were more likely to lose weight during those three months (Kuijer and Boyce 2014). The take-home message: guilt can derail your efforts.

Comfort foods are not cross-cultural. Have you assumed that chocolate is the go-to feel-better food everywhere in the world? It’s not. People in different countries and comfort from various foods. For example, in Japan, miso soup, okayu (rice porridge that is made when children are sick), and ramen are popular comfort foods. In India, it’s samosas, potato-stuffed crisps served with spicy green chutney. In Italy, it’s ribbons of fresh pasta or potato gnocchi.

There’s a gender difference. According to one study, males prefer warm, hearty, meal-related comfort foods (such as steak, casseroles, and soup), while females prefer comfort foods that are more snack-related (such as chocolate and ice cream) (Wansink, Cheney, and Chan 2003).

We choose out of habit. When we’re stressed out, we tend to revert back to the foods we frequently eat—whether they are healthy or not. A study presented at the Institute for Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Expo tested fty-nine MBA students at the University of California during midterm exams. During peak stress times, students were more likely to choose the snacks they eat most frequently (Neal, Wood, and Drolet 2013). This is likely because it takes less thought and cognitive effort to choose familiar foods.

PMS doesn’t trigger hormonal chocolate craving. Many people are under the misperception that hormonal changes make us crave chocolate during that time of the month. However, 80 percent of menopausal women still report chocolate cravings despite no longer having menstrual cycles or significant variability in their hormone levels during the course of a month (Hormes and Rozin 2009). The theory is that our desire for comfort and our stress about the approaching time of month causes us to turn to a culturally reinforced way of coping. In other words, we expect that chocolate will help, so we begin to crave it, not exactly because hormones are driving us to it.

Ritual is comforting. Do you eat comfort foods in a certain way? For example, do you eat the icing off your cupcake first or cut your peanut butter sandwich in half every time? Most of us have particular ways in which we eat food. A study published in the journal Psychological Science found that performing a ritual (like cutting a food in a particular way or eating it in a specic sequence) makes food taste better and gives you more enjoyment (Vohs et al. 2013). In this study, participants broke a chocolate bar in half without unwrapping it and ate it one half at a time. The non-ritual group ate the chocolate however they wanted. Those who performed the ritual with the chocolate bar enjoyed it more.

It is not just the taste. We often think that comfort foods taste good because of the sensory experience against our lips and how the act of eating it feels. But in a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers injected a fat-based solution right into the participants’ stomachs that would cause a similar brain response to comfort foods. Then the researchers induced sadness. Functional MRI studies found that compared to the group that received an injection of saline solution, the people who got the fatty solution had a dampening of the part of the brain that responds to sadness. In other words, the ones with the fatty comfort food solution didn’t feel as bad. Something biological is actually triggered in the stomach that sends signals to the brain to make us feel good (Van Oudenhove et al. 2011).

1. You only get a three-minute fix. A study reported in the Journal of Appetite gave participants chocolate and tested how long the “feel good” feeling lasts. It turns out that comfort and bliss only last three minutes (Macht and Mueller 2003). Three minutes! Isn’t it a surprise how short-lived comfort eating can be?

2. Cake plus guilt equals less weight loss. Cake is a comfort food that can be associated with guilt and worry or pleasure and enjoyment. In a study of dieters, those who associated cake with “guilt” vs. “celebration” were less likely to lose weight over a three-month period. Those who had positive feelings and associated cake with being a comfort food were more likely to lose weight during those three months (Kuijer and Boyce 2014). The take-home message: guilt can derail your efforts.

3. Comfort foods are not cross-cultural. Have you assumed that chocolate is the go-to feel-better food everywhere in the world? It’s not. People in different countries and comfort from various foods. For example, in Japan, miso soup, okayu (rice porridge that is made when children are sick), and ramen are popular comfort foods. In India, it’s samosas, potato-stuffed crisps served with spicy green chutney. In Italy, it’s ribbons of fresh pasta or potato gnocchi..

4. There’s a gender difference. According to one study, males prefer warm, hearty, meal-related comfort foods (such as steak, casseroles, and soup), while females prefer comfort foods that are more snack-related (such as chocolate and ice cream) (Wansink, Cheney, and Chan 2003).

5. We choose out of habit. When we’re stressed out, we tend to revert back to the foods we frequently eat—whether they are healthy or not. A study presented at the Institute for Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Expo tested fty-nine MBA students at the University of California during midterm exams. During peak stress times, students were more likely to choose the snacks they eat most frequently (Neal, Wood, and Drolet 2013). This is likely because it takes less thought and cognitive effort to choose familiar foods.

6. PMS doesn’t trigger hormonal chocolate craving. Many people are under the misperception that hormonal changes make us crave chocolate during that time of the month. However, 80 percent of menopausal women still report chocolate cravings despite no longer having menstrual cycles or significant variability in their hormone levels during the course of a month (Hormes and Rozin 2009). The theory is that our desire for comfort and our stress about the approaching time of month causes us to turn to a culturally reinforced way of coping. In other words, we expect that chocolate will help, so we begin to crave it, not exactly because hormones are driving us to it.

7. Ritual is comforting. Do you eat comfort foods in a certain way? For example, do you eat the icing off your cupcake first or cut your peanut butter sandwich in half every time? Most of us have particular ways in which we eat food. A study published in the journal Psychological Science found that performing a ritual (like cutting a food in a particular way or eating it in a specic sequence) makes food taste better and gives you more enjoyment (Vohs et al. 2013). In this study, participants broke a chocolate bar in half without unwrapping it and ate it one half at a time. The non-ritual group ate the chocolate however they wanted. Those who performed the ritual with the chocolate bar enjoyed it more.

8. Ritual is comforting. Do you eat comfort foods in a certain way? For example, do you eat the icing off your cupcake first or cut your peanut butter sandwich in half every time? Most of us have particular ways in which we eat food. A study published in the journal Psychological Science found that performing a ritual (like cutting a food in a particular way or eating it in a specic sequence) makes food taste better and gives you more enjoyment (Vohs et al. 2013). In this study, participants broke a chocolate bar in half without unwrapping it and ate it one half at a time. The non-ritual group ate the chocolate however they wanted. Those who performed the ritual with the chocolate bar enjoyed it more.

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

Not everyone is excited about the Winter Holidays. Some people are blue this time of year because it is also a reminder of lost loved ones that can no longer share in family gatherings and traditions. Also, some people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder which is a condition marked by mild depression during the time of the year when there is less daylight. December, in particular, can also be a time for reflecting on the year and making plans for the next which could trigger anxiety too.

There are tricks and things you can do to pick yourself up and not succumb to the winter blues. Here are few from Dr. Pragati Gusmano at Mode.com

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

Having a financial plan is the key to avoiding overspending this holiday season, according to two finance professors at the University of Texas at Dallas. Finance professors Jeff Manzi and Randy Guttery say consumers should follow these simple steps as they complete their holiday purchases.

1. Construct a budget and stick with it. Go back and look at last year’s checkbook and receipts from holiday spending. Decide how much you want to spend this year, including holiday gifts, events and travel. Planning ahead allows you to look for bargains, coupons and offers like free shipping. Make sure to keep track as you spend.
Make a list and check it twice.

2. Be flexible and willing to trim your shopping list. Buy for families or couples, instead of individuals, or buy gifts for the children in your family, but not all the adults. Decide who and how much before heading to the stores.

5. Pay with cash. It’s always smarter to make purchases with cash you have available in your checking or savings account, rather than racking up debt and interest, even if you think you can pay it off immediately. Never take a cash advance against a credit card.

6. Keep it simple. Instead of spending money on a loved one, spend time with them. Go to a movie or out to lunch. Help your children create gifts or bake treats. Rather than hosting a lavish holiday party, ask everyone to bring a potluck dish and BYOB.

7. Look ahead to next year. Holiday spending comes every year, so don’t let it sneak up on you. Make a 12-month budget with a free app, such as Mint. See if your bank or credit union offers a Christmas club so you can put away money all year.

Good luck and happy shopping and saving!

Jeffery Manzi and Randy Guttery are clinical professors of finance and managerial economics at UT Dallas.

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

You wouldn’t think it but winter allergies can be as brutal as seasonal allergies during spring and winter. Usually though, they come from inside pollutants like poor ventilations, dust mites and other pests. Cockroaches, dust mites, dander, and mold can trigger cold-and flu-like symptoms, said immunologist Dr. Joan Lehach

Also, the frigid temperatures that keep us inside also expose us to indoor allergens capable of triggering a variety of cold and flu-like symptoms.

“If you experience more than nine days of continuing congestion, coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and nasal drip, chances are good that you are reacting to the presence of either dust mites, cockroaches, animal dander, or mold somewhere in your home, office or school,” said Lehach, integrative medicine physician specializing in allergy, asthma and clinical immunology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. “Many times, and especially in the inner city where populations are dense, all four of these allergens are present and must be addressed.”

Dr. Lehach offer tips for controlling your indoor allergy symptoms:

Mold inspection: The first step for controlling your allergy symptoms is to do a little inspection for mold inside the house. The most common places to find it are on shower curtains, wallpaper, carpets and the sink. Mold also grows in the drain, which can be cleaned with bleach and detergent. Your best bet to getting a thorough job done is to contact a mold removal service using an online platform like Shoutwire, for example, for professional inspection and removal.

Cockroach hunt: Studies have found cockroach allergens to be present in at least half of inner city homes and in nearly three-quarters of inner city schools. Cockroaches do not have to be alive to trigger respiratory problems. Dust containing molecules of crushed carcasses can still cause problems for humans. Professionals can be consulted to discover and clean out hidden colonies. Nesting areas and pathways where cockroaches may have been traveling should be thoroughly cleaned.

Dry up dust mites: Keep your indoor humidity at 50 percent or lower, as higher humidity will breed dust mites. A humidity gauge can be purchased for about $5.

4. Filter out animal dander: If you have a pet allergy, you probably are going to need to be on allergy medications until you can consult with an allergist and see if you want to be desensitized or not. Meanwhile, a small HEPA air purifier placed in each room will keep airborne dander from spreading throughout the house. Mice or other fur-bearing pests living under the house or in the attic must be searched for and removed.

5. Get symptom relief: A mixture of sinus-friendly Chinese herbs, like Rootology, can temporarily halt most allergy symptoms in less than 20 minutes. Rootology can also be used to control winter cold and flu symptoms.

6. Start an immune-building diet: Eliminate foods that are weakening your immune system, like processed and packaged foods, and start eating immune boosting, allergy fighting foods, like blackberries and blueberries. Also important are multivitamin supplements and digestive enzymes to help you access more of the nutrients in the food you consume.

7. Get sufficient sleep: Our immune system is very “sleep-driven”, and allergies are precipitated by weakened immunity.

8. Stay hydrated: When you become dehydrated you get dry nasal mucous and can develop microscopic cracks in the nasal lining, making it easier for allergens to enter your bloodstream.

10. Wash your face and hands: Not only to maintain popularity with family, friends, and co-workers, but if there is dander, mold, or dust on your face or hands, chances are good that you will end up inhaling it.

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

I might be late, but I just spotted this awesome graphic and post from Babble featuring 5 exercises you can do with your baby. I recall doing plenty of these after having my first child and being cleared to work out because I was so anxious to start peeling off the weight. These exercises are great for the woman who cannot get to the gym.

I also highly recommend doing Gaiam‘s Pilates for Weightloss ($11.99) which I did religiously every day while breastfeeding and lost an average of 2 lbs per week steadily. I was really shocked that the weight peeled off like that without me really altering my eating. Great stuff! Click HERE to see more details about the moves below.

Over 9 million people have enjoyed Bellyitch's Award-winning Celeb "bumpwatch" pregnancy and parenting blog. Trying to Conceive? Download our FREE Fertility 100 ebook. Hunting for Top Maternity or Kids Brands? Our Bellyitch 100 is the free resource for you. Baby Shower Shopping? Check out out Top Picks on Amazon or our Gift Guides.

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